Jib Tears, Clew Breaks, and Autopilot Goes Rogue = Real Sailing Life | GTFOplan ep. 121

IN THIS VIDEO: As Horta fades into the distance, we motor directly into two days of relentless headwind. A quick dolphin visit cheers us up, and we finally remember to add our Portugal sticker to the boat. Once the wind returns, we finally raise sails—only to have the soft shackle on the mainsail clew chafe through during Ann's watch. With the boom flailing, we scramble to furl the jib and drop the main just enough for Karl and Dennis to climb in and rig a replacement in rolly seas. And it doesn’t stop there—soon after, the jib tack shackle fails, tearing the foot of the jib. Dennis suits up and heads to the bow, getting fully soaked while patching a temporary fix. That tear also triggers a loud, eerie hum that reverberates through Karl’s cabin under just the right angle and wind. A bungee cord saves the day (and his sanity). Meanwhile, our Garmin autopilot is swinging 50 degrees off course with no real support from Garmin techs. We've tried everything—tightening cables, switching to the backup pilot, and calibrating—but it’s still a guessing game. Garmin, if you're watching: help us out here! On the lighter side, we have two feathered visitors—a parakeet who made himself at home in the dog bed, and a barn swallow who took a quick break before flying off. Ocean hitchhikers, apparently. Dinner drama? Karl’s caught “beating his meat” (yes, it’s what you think—he’s cooking schnitzel), and it turns out delicious. Just when we think the chaos is done, Dennis discovers a small leak in the forward hatch. It’s patched for now… but what will go next? Oh, and Karl’s still on a mission to catch a fish. Will he finally reel one in before landfall? CURRENT LOCATION: https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/SV-GTFO/ ABOUT OUR CATAMARAN: We love our new Balance 482 - it's a perfect size for a cruising couple to handle and is a great "balance" of performance and comfort. One of our favorite features is the excellent ventilation since we mostly live as "hookers" (aka at anchor) where the boat automatically turns into the wind so we stay cool and we don't need to battle mold. We also have starlink for easy off-grid life. Our 2400 watt solar panel array also means we rarely need to run an engine to charge our batteries. ABOUT US: We saved for a our future boat, sold everything that we owned, and shipped the rest in a container to Cape Town, South Africa. We then flew there and explored South Africa by way of a safari and touring Cape Town before moving aboard our boat. We then sailed to Saint Helena, Ascension Island, Fernando de Naronha (Brazil), Martinique, Sint Maarten (Dutch and French side), the US Virgin Islands (Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas), the British Virgin Islands (Anegada, Norman Island, Jost van Dyke, and Anegada), The Bahamas (Inagua, Crooked Island, Long Island, George Town, Staniel Cay, the Exumas, and Eleuthera). We then sailed back to the United States, making landfall in Cape Canaveral, Florida. From there our destinations are endless! Both Dennis and Ann grew up military brats with Army fathers. Dennis (the Colonel) served 30 years in the US Army and his retirement pension helped us retire in our 50s. Ann (the ship's Captain) wrote Test Automation in Python and Java. Dennis and Ann met on Match.com where Ann had in her profile "Do you want to sail the world with me?" Ann easily brought Dennis into sailing, and he loved the GTFOplan of retiring early and sailing the world. After many years of saving, living on one income but earning two, and cutting back on everything possible, they saved enough to buy a Balance 482. Follow them as they get real about boat life and all the hassles of buying a new boat because we all know N.E.W. means Not Everything Works. Kisses, Ann & Dennis Twitter: @GTFOplan Facebook: https://facebook.com/anndennis.snellikin.3 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gtfoplan/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/gtfoplan Email: gtfoplan@gmail.com